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Tuesday’s announcement of Rep. John McHugh (R-N.Y.) as President Barack Obama’s nominee for Army secretary makes perfect sense from a policymaking standpoint. It’s hard to find a member of Congress who’s more well-respected or more steeped in military personnel issues than McHugh, a senior House Armed Services Committee member who has wrestled with issues ranging from recruitment to base closure to the role of women in combat.

Yet it’s also hard to find a choice better calibrated to meet the Obama administration’s political imperatives. All at once, Obama has selected a nominee who burnishes his bipartisan credentials, opened up a seat prime for Democratic pickup and drained the GOP reservoir of one of the few remaining Northeastern moderates.

It’s an event that’s happening with enough frequency to suggest the presence of a design, a plan that not only sketches the outline of a reelection strategy but manages to drive a wedge into the opposition at the same time. Call it a Sherman’s March in reverse — an audacious attempt by Obama to burn down any lines of escape for Republicans from their one refuge of popularity, the deep South.

Since taking office in January, Obama has made an effort to convert GOP moderates in nearly every region of the country, ranging from a former Midwestern congressman, Ray LaHood, who became transportation secretary, to Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who was recently named ambassador to China.

Obama also made a play for two of the four remaining Northeastern Republican senators — meeting with success in the case of party-switching Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter and near-success in the case of New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg, who initially accepted the president’s appointment as head of the Commerce Department before backing out.

And with McHugh’s appointment, Obama has managed to cut New York’s ever-shrinking GOP House delegation by one-third. The state delegation now includes just two Republicans in its 29-member contingent — down from 10 as recently as 2004.

Between high-profile conversions from the Northeast to the Midwest to the Rocky Mountain West — not to mention Obama’s warm relations with the nation’s two most prominent moderate Republican governors, California’s Arnold Schwarzenegger and Florida’s Charlie Crist — it’s beginning to look like a strategy that isolates conservatives, reinforces the impression that the GOP is defined by the borders of the Deep South and all the while underscores Obama’s stated goal of working across party lines.

“It’s very smart politically on a lot of levels. First, it’s a demonstration that he’s keeping his promise to govern in a bipartisan way. Second, the fact is, every time you open up a seat in the House or Senate that an incumbent Republican holds, you give your party an opportunity to win one back. And some of those seats may come our way,” said Tad Devine, a veteran Democratic strategist. “It forces Republicans to defend their own territory and spend money on defense.”

“Boxing the Republicans into a South-dominated party is very good strategy, because the more you reduce the Republican Party, the more conservative and reactionary it will become, and thus less attractive to moderates,” said Tom Schaller, a University of Maryland-Baltimore County professor and the author of “Whistling Past Dixie: How Democrats Can Win Without the South.” “The Midwest and the Northeast are the places where there are still remnants of old-line Rockefeller Republicans. And these are the places where the Democrats will build durable majorities.”

Republicans were reluctant Tuesday to criticize the well-regarded McHugh, but they also were sensitive to the impression his departure might foster — that moderates like him were deserting the party because conservatives were running roughshod over them.

Rep. John McHugh (R-N.Y.) as President Barack Obama’s nominee for Army secretary makes perfect sense from a policymaking standpoint. It’s hard to find a member of Congress who’s more well-respected or more steeped in military personnel issues than McHugh, a senior House Armed Services Committee member who has wrestled with issues ranging from recruitment to base closure to the role of women in combat.

So what am I missing here? Dem or Repub, Mr. McHugh simply sounds like the best choice. Obama picked another top official to an important post.

Stop the paranoia already. If Obama had picked a Dem with okay credentials, there would have been whining about another Dem and/or a choice with not enough expertise.

As the saying goes, "keep your friends close, and yor enemies even closer." I think it is brilliant what Obama is doing. Poor GOP! I guess they can console themselves by clinging bitterly to their guns!

As the saying goes, "keep your friends close, and yor enemies even closer." I think it is brilliant what Obama is doing. Poor GOP! I guess they can console themselves by clinging bitterly to their guns!

As the saying goes, "keep your friends close, and yor enemies even closer." I think it is brilliant what Obama is doing. Poor GOP! I guess they can console themselves by clinging bitterly to their guns!

As the saying goes, "keep your friends close, and yor enemies even closer." I think it is brilliant what Obama is doing. Poor GOP! I guess they can console themselves by clinging bitterly to their guns!

As the saying goes, "keep your friends close, and yor enemies even closer." I think it is brilliant what Obama is doing. Poor GOP! I guess they can console themselves by clinging bitterly to their guns!

Ah yes, Rahm, but you are alienating the left of the party- or pushing the Democrats right. It really doesn't matter though- you'll just have to drop the starry-eyed change thing and everything l b ok.

In any case, I agree with the statement in the article about America being cenrist. Possibly just a little right of that.

It is hilarious though- watching FOX and friends trying to paint what is essentially a conservative-centrist government as 'socialists'. Watching people using wweally big words like MARXIST, scrabbling 'NAZI' into their keyboards for their latest Wikipedia research effort.

The Republicans should put a STOP to any Contributions or Political activities done by the UAW or any companies that have taken "Loans" from the taxpayers. No taxpayers money should be used to support any Political Party. This would effectively cut off a BIG funding source for the Democrats. Obama may have effectively neutered the UAW and these companies from any further Poltical Activities until these loans are paid back !

Is there really a story here? I looks like you just reorgaized the facts to fit a made up premise.

Rep. John McHugh:

"It’s hard to find a member of Congress who’s more well-respected or more steeped in military personnel issues"

Um, sounds like a good choice.

"Obama has selected a nominee who burnishes his bipartisan credentials"

Or Obama has continues to satisfy a much touted campaign pledge. Imagine that!

"opened up a seat prime for Democratic pickup and drained the GOP reservoir of one of the few remaining Northeastern moderates."

It's widely understood (weel except for this 'reporter') that this district is going to be eliminated with the enxt census. And when wa the GOP interested in moderates? This seems like it says something about the GOP and not about "Obama's sabotage."

Really, do you get paid for such poor journaism? Is this what passes muster at Politico fo analytical thinking?